NEET 2026 paper leak fallout: Union Education minister faces privilege notice over remarks on parliamentary panel
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row over the NEET 2026 paper leak and its subsequent cancellation, the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has now landed in controversy over a comment he made at a recent press conference regarding the matter involving the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
According to media reports, the Minister is now facing privilege proceedings in the Rajya Sabha after Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, on Monday gave a notice to the Minister for allegedly lowering the dignity of Parliament with remarks made at a recent press conference.
In his notice to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, Jairam Ramesh said that Minister Pradhan made some "derogatory" remarks against the parliamentary committee", during a press conference on May 15, after the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam. According to Ramesh, these remarks "reveal his contempt for the Parliament, parliamentary committees, members of the parliamentary committee that are drawn from all political parties and India's constitutional democracy itself."
"I have given notice of question of privilege under Rule 187 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States against the Union Minister of Education for having lowered the dignity of Parliament and Parliamentary Committees. He has made these outrageous remarks while presiding over the rot in the Education Ministry that is destroying the future of lakhs of youth across the country," Ramesh said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he also shared a copy of the privilege notice sent to Radhakrishnan.
Why is the Minister facing the Privilege Notice?
At the centre of the controversy is the recent Press Conference held by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, in his capacity as the Union Minister for Education, on the issue of NEET 2026 paper leak. Jairam Ramesh said that when Minister Pradhan was asked by the media as to why his ministry had not implemented the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education in its report on the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Minister allegedly said that he would not comment on Parliament Standing Committee red flags since it has members from the opposition.
Explaining the issue in detail, Ramesh mentioned in the privilege notice sent to Radhakrishnan, "I, hereby, give notice of question of privilege under Rule 187 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) against Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Government of India for having lowered the dignity of the Parliament and parliamentary committees."
"On 15th May 2026, in his capacity as the Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addressed an official press conference in. New Delhi on the issue of the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. He was subsequently asked by representatives of the media as to why his Ministry had not implemented the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education in its report on the National Testing Agency (NTA). To this question, the Minister responded as follows —
"I will not comment on Parliament Standing Committee red flags. I will speak about the High-Level Committee of Experts (HLCE)/Radizakrishnan Committee. The Parliament Standing Committee has members from the opposition. They write things in a certain manner, you also know that. Hence, I won't speak on the standing committee," the notice added.
Ramesh said, "These remarks of the Union Education Minister are outrageous. They are highly derogatory and seek to malign parliamentarians, parliamentary committees and the Parliament of India. The Parliamentary Committees are an extension of the Parliament of India, and rightly so referred to as mini-Parliament. Hence, the Executive's accountability to the Legislature and its parliamentary committees is a fundamental tenet of India's democratic polity."
"The Minister's impugned comments clearly indicate and reveal his contempt for the Parliament, parliamentary committees, members of the parliamentary committee that are drawn from all political parties and India's constitutional democracy itself. He has deliberately lowered the stature and prestige of the institution of the Standing Committee simply because of its bipartisan nature. The Minister's comments also tantamount to imputing dishonourable motives to members of parliamentary committees themselves," he added.
He mentioned in the notice that It is well established that any derogatory references to parliamentary committees, members of parliamentary committees constitute a gross contempt of such parliamentary committees. The contempt of the parliamentary committee constitutes contempt of the House.
"The above conduct of the Minister of Education constitutes a grave breach of privilege and contempt of the House. In fact, it is a perfect case of such breach of privilege and contempt and a fit case for action by you since the Standing Committee on Education is one of the eight standing committees of the Rajya Sabha," he added, requesting the initiation of privilege proceedings against Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education.
NEET-UG, the common entrance examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses, is undoubtedly the largest exam that the NTA has in charge of conducting, in terms of the massive number of candidates who appear in it on a single day and in a single shift.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that earlier this month, the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body in charge of holding the test, decided to cancel the exam, which was conducted for over 22.05 lakh candidates on May 3.
Announcing its decision to cancel the exam, NTA on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle posted, "In continuation of its press release dated 10 May 2026, the National Testing Agency wishes to inform candidates, parents, and members of the public of the following decisions taken in respect of NEET (UG) 2026. NTA had, on 8 May 2026, referred the matters then under consideration to the central agencies for independent verification and necessary action, consistent with its standing commitment to the fair, secure, and credible conduct of the national examinations entrusted to it. On the basis of the inputs subsequently examined by NTA in coordination with the central agencies, and the investigative findings shared by the law enforcement agencies and in order to ensure that there is transparency in the system, the National Testing Agency, with the approval of the Government of India, has decided to cancel the NEET (UG) 2026 examination conducted on 3 May 2026, and to re-conduct the examination on dates that will be notified separately."
"The inputs received by NTA, taken together with the findings shared by the law enforcement agencies, established that the present examination process could not be allowed to stand. The re-conducted examination dates, along with the re-issued admit-card schedule, will be communicated through the official channels of the Agency in the coming days," the NTA stated.
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